A Prayer Calendar for Advent
Join us in praying for Chinese believers this Advent season.
Christian Life
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Working Our “Initiate Conversation” Muscle
As long as our motivation comes from a godly desire for peace and reconciliation, seeking clarity in relationships is worth the effort. Someone has to take the first step to initiate conversation. For those seeking to reflect God’s face in relationships, let’s be the ones doing the initiating.
Thank You, Father! Thank You, Dad!
Being thankful and saying thank you is important any time of year. Certainly in this Thanksgiving season I want to say thank you to the ChinaSource community for your friendship, love, and sacrificial involvement together with us.
Engaging the Highly Mobile Generation of Chinese Intellectuals
AFC adopted an innovative ministry model that focuses on supporting micro-communities, which reflect the highly mobile character of overseas Chinese intellectuals….Each micro-community exists to serve actual needs. Collectively, these micro-communities embody the ecosystem of the gospel—the variety of Christian life and the diversity of people groups.
Transformative Relationships
God calls us to exercise self-control and listen well. And while challenging to live out, relating to others in this way is not impossible! Many of those I interviewed in China… described this spiritual fruit growing in their lives and the difference it made relationally.
God at Work During 3 Years of Isolation
Life in China under the strict zero-COVID policy was difficult for many, especially believers who were unable to gather for worship. Nevertheless, God was still at work. Over the next few weeks, we’ll hear from Chinese believers answering the question, “During the three years of COVID isolation and restrictions, how did you see God at work in your [communities]?”
Unveiling the Crisis of Chinese Youth
Since 2023, China has been dealing with a 20% youth unemployment rate, which increases to 46.5% when considering the "lying flat" phenomenon. This societal flow, coupled with the culture of involution, has shaped the lives of countless young individuals, hindering innovation. In this context, the stories of three young people vividly illustrate how their paths were molded within the currents of prevailing norms, with some echoing the transformative message of 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Bearing With: Recognizing and Accepting Differences
We are all members of the body of Christ. And while there are appropriate times to leave a particular ministry or church to find another, when the reason for leaving is related to conflict triggered by differences, please pause, and first consider taking biblical peacemaking steps.
Love In Action
Thankfully, God loves us with actions and in truth whether we are at odds with him or not. Investing in a relationship with someone we are at odds with, assuming it is not an abusive relationship, can reflect that same type of love and have significant impact.
Indignation or Creativity?
One old-timer (a Bible-smuggler…) told me... “There is a lot possible when we function within the law. We can still head in all kinds of directions. There are always open doors in every country no matter how ‘closed’ they are. We just have to find them.”
Gospel Power at Work in the Heart
Gaining a true view of ourselves from God is humbling and freeing and can spur us on to apologize for our contributions to conflict.
The Benefits of Giving Face
Wu Chunhua described it in this way: “If you give a person face, that person will slowly relax and won’t be as confrontational and resistant in the relationship. The conflict will ease up. It won’t continue to get bigger.”